UNIX Fourth Edition - Revision history

Aap: refer to v4 installation instructions

2025-12-20T04:15:34Z

refer to v4 installation instructions

← Older revision		Revision as of 04:15, 20 December 2025
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	https://www.spinellis.gr/pubs/jrnl/2016-EMPSE-unix-history/html/unix-history.pdf		https://www.spinellis.gr/pubs/jrnl/2016-EMPSE-unix-history/html/unix-history.pdf

	=== ~~Booting v4~~ ===		=== Installing and Running V4 ===

	Since the tape has been read, the system can now be booted.		Since the tape has been read, the system can now be installed and booted.
	~~Get~~ the ~~required files (unix_v4.tap and disk.rk)~~ here: http://squoze.net/UNIX/v4		After follow the installation instructions here: http://squoze.net/UNIX/v4
			booting the system looks like this:

	~~With the following boot.ini~~
	<pre>		<pre>
	~~set cpu 11/45~~		% pdp11 boot.ini
	~~att rk0 disk.rk~~
	~~att tm0 unix_v4.tap~~
	~~boot -o tm~~
	~~</pre>~~

	~~you can start the system like this:~~
	~~<pre>~~
	% pdp11 boot.ini

	[...]		[...]
			; boot from RK0, now in uboot
	=uboot
	k		k
	unix		unix

Aap: wrong link

2025-12-20T03:07:20Z

wrong link

← Older revision		Revision as of 03:07, 20 December 2025
Line 31:		Line 31:

	Since the tape has been read, the system can now be booted.		Since the tape has been read, the system can now be booted.
	Get the required files (unix_v4.tap and disk.rk) here: http://squoze.net/UNIX/v4~~/README~~		Get the required files (unix_v4.tap and disk.rk) here: http://squoze.net/UNIX/v4

	With the following boot.ini		With the following boot.ini

Aap: Added quick note about booting the v4 tape

2025-12-20T03:06:56Z

Added quick note about booting the v4 tape

@@ Line 27: / Line 27: @@
 Research UNIX v4, dated to 1973:
 https://www.spinellis.gr/pubs/jrnl/2016-EMPSE-unix-history/html/unix-history.pdf
 ==External links==

ForOldHack: /* External links / Added news, since this is news*. Its OMG news! OMG! Sorry, but I am excited. UNIX > XENIX.

2025-11-11T06:25:47Z

External links: Added news, since this is *news*. Its OMG news! OMG! Sorry, but I am excited. UNIX > XENIX.

@@ Line 37: / Line 37: @@
 ** [https://minnie.tuhs.org/cgi-bin/utree.pl?file=V4/man/man5/fs.5 File system]
 * [http://squoze.net/UNIX/v4man/ UNIX Programmer's Manual: Fourth Edition]
 {{Nav Unix}}

ForOldHack: /* Reverted mistake */

2025-11-08T02:49:49Z

Reverted mistake

← Older revision		Revision as of 02:49, 8 November 2025
Line 13:		Line 13:

	Apparently, the only model of PDP-11 supported was the [[PDP-11/45]].		Apparently, the only model of PDP-11 supported was the [[PDP-11/45]].

	~~"Amoug the new goodies are:~~
	~~1) Separate I and D space for the resident monitor on 11/45s and 11/70s/"~~

	~~https://www.spinellis.gr/pubs/jrnl/2016-EMPSE-unix-history/html/unix-history.pdf~~

	A complete copy of Fourth Edition does not seem to be extant. [[The Unix Heritage Society\|TUHS]] has a copy of the 'UNIX Programmer's Manual' and the [[source]] for what would become the V4 kernel. The main differences in this 'nsys' kernel compared to the later V4 kernel are the earlier V3 way of registering signal handlers, and a few not yet implemented system calls. Most importantly [[pipe]]s had not yet been implemented, making this kernel not fully functional even on a V3 system.		A complete copy of Fourth Edition does not seem to be extant. [[The Unix Heritage Society\|TUHS]] has a copy of the 'UNIX Programmer's Manual' and the [[source]] for what would become the V4 kernel. The main differences in this 'nsys' kernel compared to the later V4 kernel are the earlier V3 way of registering signal handlers, and a few not yet implemented system calls. Most importantly [[pipe]]s had not yet been implemented, making this kernel not fully functional even on a V3 system.

ForOldHack: /* Possible alternative hardware for UNIX v4 from

2025-11-08T02:47:17Z

/* Possible alternative hardware for UNIX v4 from

← Older revision		Revision as of 02:47, 8 November 2025
Line 13:		Line 13:

	Apparently, the only model of PDP-11 supported was the [[PDP-11/45]].		Apparently, the only model of PDP-11 supported was the [[PDP-11/45]].

			"Amoug the new goodies are:
			1) Separate I and D space for the resident monitor on 11/45s and 11/70s/"

			https://www.spinellis.gr/pubs/jrnl/2016-EMPSE-unix-history/html/unix-history.pdf

	A complete copy of Fourth Edition does not seem to be extant. [[The Unix Heritage Society\|TUHS]] has a copy of the 'UNIX Programmer's Manual' and the [[source]] for what would become the V4 kernel. The main differences in this 'nsys' kernel compared to the later V4 kernel are the earlier V3 way of registering signal handlers, and a few not yet implemented system calls. Most importantly [[pipe]]s had not yet been implemented, making this kernel not fully functional even on a V3 system.		A complete copy of Fourth Edition does not seem to be extant. [[The Unix Heritage Society\|TUHS]] has a copy of the 'UNIX Programmer's Manual' and the [[source]] for what would become the V4 kernel. The main differences in this 'nsys' kernel compared to the later V4 kernel are the earlier V3 way of registering signal handlers, and a few not yet implemented system calls. Most importantly [[pipe]]s had not yet been implemented, making this kernel not fully functional even on a V3 system.

ForOldHack: /* Possible source tape discovered */

2025-11-08T02:39:41Z

Possible source tape discovered

← Older revision		Revision as of 02:39, 8 November 2025
Line 15:		Line 15:

	A complete copy of Fourth Edition does not seem to be extant. [[The Unix Heritage Society\|TUHS]] has a copy of the 'UNIX Programmer's Manual' and the [[source]] for what would become the V4 kernel. The main differences in this 'nsys' kernel compared to the later V4 kernel are the earlier V3 way of registering signal handlers, and a few not yet implemented system calls. Most importantly [[pipe]]s had not yet been implemented, making this kernel not fully functional even on a V3 system.		A complete copy of Fourth Edition does not seem to be extant. [[The Unix Heritage Society\|TUHS]] has a copy of the 'UNIX Programmer's Manual' and the [[source]] for what would become the V4 kernel. The main differences in this 'nsys' kernel compared to the later V4 kernel are the earlier V3 way of registering signal handlers, and a few not yet implemented system calls. Most importantly [[pipe]]s had not yet been implemented, making this kernel not fully functional even on a V3 system.

			==Possible Source(s)==

			"A tape-based piece of unique Unix history may have been lying quietly in storage at the University of Utah for 50+ years. The question is whether researchers will be able to take this piece of middle-aged media and rewind it back to the 1970s to get the data off."

			* [https://www.theregister.com/2025/11/07/unix_fourth_edition_tape_rediscovered/ UNIX fourth edition tape rediscovered]

			"– The 4th Edition (November 1973 — Research-V4) contains only source markup
			for the manual pages: 18975 lines of troff code."

			Research UNIX v4, dated to 1973:
			https://www.spinellis.gr/pubs/jrnl/2016-EMPSE-unix-history/html/unix-history.pdf

	==External links==		==External links==

Jnc: /* External links */ possible config of the UNIX group's -11/45

2023-07-18T01:45:45Z

External links: possible config of the UNIX group's -11/45

← Older revision		Revision as of 01:45, 18 July 2023
Line 20:		Line 20:
	* [https://minnie.tuhs.org/cgi-bin/utree.pl?file=V4 V4]		* [https://minnie.tuhs.org/cgi-bin/utree.pl?file=V4 V4]
	** [https://minnie.tuhs.org/cgi-bin/utree.pl?file=V4/nsys nsys] - complete kernel source		** [https://minnie.tuhs.org/cgi-bin/utree.pl?file=V4/nsys nsys] - complete kernel source
			*** [https://minnie.tuhs.org/cgi-bin/utree.pl?file=V4/nsys/ken/11-45 11-45] - possibly physical layout of the UNIX group's PDP-11/45
			*** [https://minnie.tuhs.org/cgi-bin/utree.pl?file=V4/nsys/ken/low.s low.s] - possibly configuration of the UNIX group's PDP-11/45
	** [https://minnie.tuhs.org/cgi-bin/utree.pl?file=V4/man/man0/intro UNIX Programmer's Manual Fourth Edition - Introduction]		** [https://minnie.tuhs.org/cgi-bin/utree.pl?file=V4/man/man0/intro UNIX Programmer's Manual Fourth Edition - Introduction]
	** [https://minnie.tuhs.org/cgi-bin/utree.pl?file=V4/man/man5/fs.5 File system]		** [https://minnie.tuhs.org/cgi-bin/utree.pl?file=V4/man/man5/fs.5 File system]

Jnc: +previous version

2022-06-23T04:05:40Z

+previous version

← Older revision		Revision as of 04:05, 23 June 2022
Line 3:		Line 3:
	\| creator = AT&T/[[Western Electric]]		\| creator = AT&T/[[Western Electric]]
	\| year introduced = November, 1973		\| year introduced = November, 1973
	\| next version = [[UNIX Fifth Edition]]		\| previous version = [[UNIX Third Edition\|V3]]
			\| current version = V4
			\| next version = [[UNIX Fifth Edition\|V5]]
	\| type = [[Multi-tasking]], [[multi-user]]		\| type = [[Multi-tasking]], [[multi-user]]
	\| architecture = [[PDP-11 architecture\|PDP-11]]		\| architecture = [[PDP-11 architecture\|PDP-11]]
Line 12:		Line 14:
	Apparently, the only model of PDP-11 supported was the [[PDP-11/45]].		Apparently, the only model of PDP-11 supported was the [[PDP-11/45]].

	A complete copy of Fourth Edition does not seem to be extant. [[The Unix Heritage Society\|TUHS]] has a copy of the 'UNIX Programmer's Manual'		A complete copy of Fourth Edition does not seem to be extant. [[The Unix Heritage Society\|TUHS]] has a copy of the 'UNIX Programmer's Manual' and the [[source]] for what would become the V4 kernel. The main differences in this 'nsys' kernel compared to the later V4 kernel are the earlier V3 way of registering signal handlers, and a few not yet implemented system calls. Most importantly [[pipe]]s had not yet been implemented, making this kernel not fully functional even on a V3 system.
	and the [[source]] for what would become the V4 kernel.
	The main differences in this nsys kernel compared to the later V4 kernel are the earlier V3 way of registering signal handlers
	and a few not yet implemented system calls. Most importantly ~~pipes~~ had not yet been implemented, making this kernel not fully functional even on a V3 system.

	==External links==		==External links==

Aap: Some more info on the nsys kernel.

2022-05-27T09:51:56Z

Some more info on the nsys kernel.

← Older revision		Revision as of 09:51, 27 May 2022
Line 12:		Line 12:
	Apparently, the only model of PDP-11 supported was the [[PDP-11/45]].		Apparently, the only model of PDP-11 supported was the [[PDP-11/45]].

	A complete copy of Fourth Edition does not seem to be extant. [[The Unix Heritage Society\|TUHS]] has the [[source]] for what ~~appears~~ to ~~be a shortly pre-~~V4 kernel, ~~and~~ a ~~copy of the 'UNIX Programmer's Manual'~~.		A complete copy of Fourth Edition does not seem to be extant. [[The Unix Heritage Society\|TUHS]] has a copy of the 'UNIX Programmer's Manual'
			and the [[source]] for what would become the V4 kernel.
			The main differences in this nsys kernel compared to the later V4 kernel are the earlier V3 way of registering signal handlers
			and a few not yet implemented system calls. Most importantly pipes had not yet been implemented, making this kernel not fully functional even on a V3 system.

	==External links==		==External links==